An Old Friend

Late Friday evening an old army buddy contacted me. I hadn’t heard from him in years, and now he seemed desperate to meet with me. In secret. He wouldn’t say exactly why, so with an uneasy feeling, and an address scribbled down, I set out to meet with him.

The old rendering plant was smelly, dark, and had apparently been unused in some years. I found a loading door slightly ajar, with an old, but apparently serviceable, truck sitting outside. Inside I overhear a horse whisper, and after a moment I can associate that voice with a dark form accented by the minute glow of a lit cigarette. Even close to him, I can’t see him very well, but I can clearly make out the distinct scent of the cologne that was his signature.

“Here.” He thrust a small leather-bound volume into my hands. It wasn’t any bigger than a paperback novel, but so much heavier. The cover felt rough in my hands, and even though I couldn’t make it out, there felt to be some form of symbol in the leather.

After examining the little tome as much as I could in the minimal light, I was about to ask him what it was, or where he’s been all this time, but he was gone. Simply gone. Not a footstep did I hear. Just the smell of cigarette smoke and cologne.

Possibilities

1 The old friend has been dead for many years. Murdered during his army days and framed for a vile crime he didn’t commit. The journal is that of his murder, also dead. The ghost of the old friend has returned with the journal, hoping that the investigator will find the truth of his murder and set the record straight.

2 The old friend was a combat photographer in the army and has since moved onto independent journalism. The volume is a handwritten manual written by the head of a cannibal cult. It includes graphic depictions of ritual murders, and sketches on how best to prepare the human body for consumption. Inside the back cover is a complex symbol. It is the focus for a magical ritual allowing the creator of the book to summon the volume, and its thief back to the creator.

This time the ritual botched, bringing just the thief back for punishment.

3 The volume itself is not connected to the disappearance, even if that is not immediately apparent. The rendering plant itself is haunted. The invisible beast that makes its residence here enjoys quietly taking its victims deep below the building and torturing them for its entertainment.

© Eric R Provost